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Free Decibel Meter

110 Decibels — How Loud Is It?

Dangerous

110 dB is about as loud as car horn, 1 m away. A car horn at 1 meter or the front rows of a rock concert both reach about 110 dB. Safe unprotected exposure under NIOSH's model falls to well under 2 minutes a day at this level — concerts and motorsport events at this volume are exactly why hearing protection is routinely recommended at both.

What does 110 dB sound like?

  • 110 dB — Car horn, 1 m away
  • 110 dB — Rock concert, front rows
  • 120 dB — Thunderclap overhead

Safe exposure time at 110 dB

Under NIOSH's Recommended Exposure Limit (85 dB, 3 dB exchange rate), safe unprotected exposure at 110 dB is about 1 minute per day. Under OSHA's legal Permissible Exposure Limit (90 dB, 5 dB exchange rate), it is about 30 minutes per day.

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    Frequently asked questions

    How long can you safely listen at 110 dB?
    NIOSH's exchange-rate model gives well under 2 minutes of safe unprotected exposure per day at 110 dB — a fraction of the 8 hours allowed at 85 dB.
    What reaches 110 dB?
    A car horn at 1 meter and the front rows of a rock concert both commonly measure around 110 dB.

    Sources